I never did remember much of my childhood. My memories start from when I was about 11. And before that, if any, it was never much, just bits and pieces. In the last couple of years though, things have started to come back, mostly because something triggered a certain memory. It can be a certain smell, a song, a place, and all of a sudden another piece of my childhood comes back. Or maybe it's just because I am more open to it. And when something like that happens, I wonder how I could have ever forgotten it and it mostly brings a smile to my face, because I actually remembered something 'new' (kind of like Dory does)! I think there are some things that I might have even blocked for years or those I have never processed, not really anyway and some of those memories or feelings come back from time to time too. And those are the less colourful parts that I can't blame myself for forgetting. Things I never shared with anyone, that I kept to myself, that I was too ashamed for or blamed myself for, that I didn't know how to handle and so I tried to deal with it myself. Not that anyone ever noticed much, since I always dealt with it behind closed doors and always smiled on the outside. And I remember that I actually was an overall social, very happy (and loud hehe) kid. And as many other kids, I was bullied when I was younger, but I think that in the end, I have started to realize that I was my own worst enemy. I was the one that dealt with it in a certain way, not sharing it and believing everything kids told me. Until I had that turning point in high school, when I finally was able to let go, to lead, to stand up for myself and others, to not care so much what others said about me, to not be insecure, to be proud of myself, to just live! And that happened more and more each year and it was somewhere during my college years that I knew I wanted to travel! And so when I finished college and went on my first real trip with a good friend, I loved it but I also felt like I was missing out on so much back home, summer break with all these (new yet close) friends I made and the great life I was living as this person that I loved. This is one of the reasons why I cut my trip short, I was too connected to home, and not ready to leave everything behind I guess. But then being back, I couldn't wait to leave again and I did, a week later. I left for another 3 months. And when I was home for just that week, seeing everyone again but knowing I did not need nor want to be here, it is then I realized that I should choose me and that they would be fine and so would I. And I guess that home is where my heart is although I have always said that Arnhem is and always will be my home. Anyway when I realized what I wanted and could let go and actually went for it with all my heart, I remember feeling free, without a care in the world, full of dreams. Planning trips, small and big. And this feeling grew and grew and grew with every step I took abroad. And every time I am abroad, I can be whoever I want to be really. And on most trips that I've taking by myself, I almost feel like a superstar, not like I'm famous or anything but it's just me and I am 100% myself. There's no obligations, time almost doesn't exist and I live in the moment. I shut down my 'thinking' brain, my conscious, which hasn't always worked out for the best, but in that moment it feels right. And I still look back from time to time and I remember more and more from my childhood, but good or bad, I still smile because I look back and see what I have accomplished and that anything is possible. Just always remember that you've got to look at the good in your life and focus on that. And yeah I know, I am going back to that fairy-tale like mind state ;). Just today I told my co-workers that I live in a world of unicorns and rainbows. But in whatever world I live in, it's most importantly that I do, I just live :)!
Tuesday, October 03, 2017
I just live
I never did remember much of my childhood. My memories start from when I was about 11. And before that, if any, it was never much, just bits and pieces. In the last couple of years though, things have started to come back, mostly because something triggered a certain memory. It can be a certain smell, a song, a place, and all of a sudden another piece of my childhood comes back. Or maybe it's just because I am more open to it. And when something like that happens, I wonder how I could have ever forgotten it and it mostly brings a smile to my face, because I actually remembered something 'new' (kind of like Dory does)! I think there are some things that I might have even blocked for years or those I have never processed, not really anyway and some of those memories or feelings come back from time to time too. And those are the less colourful parts that I can't blame myself for forgetting. Things I never shared with anyone, that I kept to myself, that I was too ashamed for or blamed myself for, that I didn't know how to handle and so I tried to deal with it myself. Not that anyone ever noticed much, since I always dealt with it behind closed doors and always smiled on the outside. And I remember that I actually was an overall social, very happy (and loud hehe) kid. And as many other kids, I was bullied when I was younger, but I think that in the end, I have started to realize that I was my own worst enemy. I was the one that dealt with it in a certain way, not sharing it and believing everything kids told me. Until I had that turning point in high school, when I finally was able to let go, to lead, to stand up for myself and others, to not care so much what others said about me, to not be insecure, to be proud of myself, to just live! And that happened more and more each year and it was somewhere during my college years that I knew I wanted to travel! And so when I finished college and went on my first real trip with a good friend, I loved it but I also felt like I was missing out on so much back home, summer break with all these (new yet close) friends I made and the great life I was living as this person that I loved. This is one of the reasons why I cut my trip short, I was too connected to home, and not ready to leave everything behind I guess. But then being back, I couldn't wait to leave again and I did, a week later. I left for another 3 months. And when I was home for just that week, seeing everyone again but knowing I did not need nor want to be here, it is then I realized that I should choose me and that they would be fine and so would I. And I guess that home is where my heart is although I have always said that Arnhem is and always will be my home. Anyway when I realized what I wanted and could let go and actually went for it with all my heart, I remember feeling free, without a care in the world, full of dreams. Planning trips, small and big. And this feeling grew and grew and grew with every step I took abroad. And every time I am abroad, I can be whoever I want to be really. And on most trips that I've taking by myself, I almost feel like a superstar, not like I'm famous or anything but it's just me and I am 100% myself. There's no obligations, time almost doesn't exist and I live in the moment. I shut down my 'thinking' brain, my conscious, which hasn't always worked out for the best, but in that moment it feels right. And I still look back from time to time and I remember more and more from my childhood, but good or bad, I still smile because I look back and see what I have accomplished and that anything is possible. Just always remember that you've got to look at the good in your life and focus on that. And yeah I know, I am going back to that fairy-tale like mind state ;). Just today I told my co-workers that I live in a world of unicorns and rainbows. But in whatever world I live in, it's most importantly that I do, I just live :)!
Monday, July 10, 2017
Better out than in
Better out than in. That goes for burps, sneezes, farts and
even words. You can talk to someone or write them down, words that is. And also keep it to yourself
or share it with the world. But better out than in, so here it goes....
Lately I have felt like I was a bit lost again. Not knowing what I would do next and not have a 'purpose' anymore. I always worked knowing I did that to save up to travel the world, to see new things, to go on new adventures and to just live my life without a care in the world. And to get my own appartment (rental). I have that now, I have a home or is it just a house? It's not quite finished and I want to do that asap, make it personal, make it me and hopefully it will be my home, mine and mine alone.
The other day, I felt like I was one of many. Getting up every day (well 4 days of the week) to go to work, work and then..see friends and family, do fun stuff, go out to dinner and not for a few months, but permanently. And really reconnect with everyone, get invested in peoples life again. Knowing if I would 'miss' anything it wasn't because I was away but just because I no longer needed or wanted to be part of it. And in other situations making an effort to be part of it a 100%! But still just work with no real purpose or plan in the future other than buy new stuff or go on a 2 week holiday I didn't really need to plan for. A friend told me that is what normal life looks like and what I used to do, wasn't. And I know that, but I enjoyed it, loved every second of it. And this life, this normal life takes getting used to. Be patient with me life, as I don't know what my cooked up brain will come up with next..if anything.
And to not be part of something a 100%, just 'flying' in and out of stories, lifes, situations makes it different. I used to miss bits and pieces, but now know complete stories. And in so, I formed an opinion, and I don't just nodd and smile, but I am acutally real with people and that hasn't always worked to my advantage. But I do see most of my friends as family, I love them, but that doesn't mean I always have to like them or their decissions. It makes me seem a bit harsh at times, I know. But ey, if you can't handle the truth, then don't tell me your story I guess. And sometimes I do think I might be better off nodding and smiling at everything that people say to me, but as I got older, I started to see things in a different perspective. I re-evaluated people and their purpose of sharing stuff with me. I also learned myself that just because you need to share something, doesn't mean people need to hear it. But again, better out then in, just make sure you share it with the right people. Anyways, I'm drifting off. I wonder what's next and also, well mostly, what do I want to do next. And honestly I have no clue yet and that, that scares me sometimes. And so for now, I follow the 'herd' and go about with my life, my normal life...wondering what's next..
Lately I have felt like I was a bit lost again. Not knowing what I would do next and not have a 'purpose' anymore. I always worked knowing I did that to save up to travel the world, to see new things, to go on new adventures and to just live my life without a care in the world. And to get my own appartment (rental). I have that now, I have a home or is it just a house? It's not quite finished and I want to do that asap, make it personal, make it me and hopefully it will be my home, mine and mine alone.
The other day, I felt like I was one of many. Getting up every day (well 4 days of the week) to go to work, work and then..see friends and family, do fun stuff, go out to dinner and not for a few months, but permanently. And really reconnect with everyone, get invested in peoples life again. Knowing if I would 'miss' anything it wasn't because I was away but just because I no longer needed or wanted to be part of it. And in other situations making an effort to be part of it a 100%! But still just work with no real purpose or plan in the future other than buy new stuff or go on a 2 week holiday I didn't really need to plan for. A friend told me that is what normal life looks like and what I used to do, wasn't. And I know that, but I enjoyed it, loved every second of it. And this life, this normal life takes getting used to. Be patient with me life, as I don't know what my cooked up brain will come up with next..if anything.
And to not be part of something a 100%, just 'flying' in and out of stories, lifes, situations makes it different. I used to miss bits and pieces, but now know complete stories. And in so, I formed an opinion, and I don't just nodd and smile, but I am acutally real with people and that hasn't always worked to my advantage. But I do see most of my friends as family, I love them, but that doesn't mean I always have to like them or their decissions. It makes me seem a bit harsh at times, I know. But ey, if you can't handle the truth, then don't tell me your story I guess. And sometimes I do think I might be better off nodding and smiling at everything that people say to me, but as I got older, I started to see things in a different perspective. I re-evaluated people and their purpose of sharing stuff with me. I also learned myself that just because you need to share something, doesn't mean people need to hear it. But again, better out then in, just make sure you share it with the right people. Anyways, I'm drifting off. I wonder what's next and also, well mostly, what do I want to do next. And honestly I have no clue yet and that, that scares me sometimes. And so for now, I follow the 'herd' and go about with my life, my normal life...wondering what's next..
Saturday, May 20, 2017
L.A. and Santa Cruz
L.A.
I was glad it didn't take too long for me to get to L.A., just a couple of hours. I left San Diego early so I would still have enough time that day in L.A. I already made a plan of what was close to each other. First stop; the Hollywood sign! I first drove through Hollywood Blvd and caught a glimpse of The Walk of Fame, I would come back later so continued driving. My GPS send me through a long narrow uphill street with lots of twists and turns, all the way up the mountain with houses left and right. It was very excited, especially when I couldn't see around the corner or when another car came from the other side. The road was partially cracked and in bad shape too, so that added to the excitement. I kept getting a glimpse of the sign and was wondering where my GPS would send me to and where this spot was (I found it online). When I finally got there, it was a bigger road and open fields of grass and lots of tourists. I parked the car and there it was, The Hollywood sign! Pretty cool! So if you do go, 3000 Canyon Drive (and try to go up and/or down the way I did). I of course decided to go back the same way as I came up, haha. After one turn, I saw something on the street, it was a coyote!! But it jumped back the way it came and disappeared into the woods. I continued my way down and drove to The Original Farmers Market. No so much a farmers market anymore, but so much fun to have lunch and walk around. I ordered a Philly Cheese Steak sandwich and when I picked it up, it was a bigger portion than I expected it to be. I then saw an old lady walking to her seat with the same thing I had, her husband was already waiting and thought they were sharing, a much better idea. But then she told her husband that his was coming and it was the same order. No wonder some Americans get so fat. And that's exactly how I felt, full, fat. I walked so much that day and hardly ate anything else. I had some time left on my parking (first 90 min are free with a purchase) and walked outside. It felt like I walked right into NY, jazzy music, the streets filled with shops, flowers etc. I later learned that was called The Grove! Super cool place!
I went back to the hostel to check in and relax for an hour or so before heading out again. I left to go to The Walk of Fame. I found parking that was $2 for 2 hours if you get it validated at one of their shops and buy something (as low as you want). I started walking and was close to The Chinese Theater, this is where all the hand- and footprints are. I loved it and so did many others with me. I then started to walk The Walk (of Fame), the first bit was pretty cool, but after a couple of blocks, it got a bit boring. I thought to myself: they give everyone a star don't they?! I though it was something special, but it didn't seem that special anymore. I walked and walked and walked though until I had to go back to the car. Since it was almost sunset, I decided to drive to the Observatory, but it was so busy, I kind of only saw a bit on the way. I then drove up the road next to the observatory to see the skyline at night. On my way back down, I saw another coyote near a park which also quickly disappeared. I didn't know much about them, if they were wild or not and I did see a few people walking near the park, but I continued driving. I later read there were about 150 sightings last year and also a few attacks. I hope nothing happened that night ;).
On day two, it was a bit clouded but again, there was still some stuff I wanted to see so off I went. First up, Rodeo Drive. The most expensive shopping street in the world and that's all it was. Just a shopping street, and in it driving expensive cars (besides the tourist cars). I then attempted in checking out a few celebrity houses but soon gave up, cause ah well, didn't feel like it I guess. I continued to Venice beach, it was still a bit clouded on the drive. The beach/boardwalk had a nice vibe, but in the end, it's just another beach. I think it would have been nice to do a bike ride on the bike paths they have, but I only had an hour parking so I just walked around. I then drove to the Santa Monica Pier, again searching for parking, going around and around and around. FYI: parking is easy if you're willing to pay the price ;). I wasn't, because I would only be there for an hour or two. I found Short term parking, 2$ for 2hrs. The clouds had gone and made way for the beautiful sun. I walked through the amusement park and over the pier. It was fun, good vibe, music. There was a guy that I'd like to call birdman, he was sitting on a bench with pigeons ans a seagull. He made a gesture to the pigeons with his index finger and the would fly on to his hand or hat, everywhere really. I saw him feeding them small crumbs, I guess he trained them. Fun to see! I decided that was enough fun for that day. I was tired and didn't feel like driving around anymore, always having to look for parking. At least it was mostly free in San Diego. I went to the hostel and just relaxed in- and outside for the rest of the afternoon.
It's funny how every billboard, bus ad, other ads I saw was all about movies and shows. Mostly promoting Amazon and Netflix. And I noticed, they park EVERYWHERE in L.A. You have to be careful and read the signs, the exceptions. But they would for instance park next to a sidewalk, which is also a lane on that street and so you have to use another lane. Annoying at times.
L.A. to Santa Cruz, CD3, you're fired!
I looked up a few stops that morning that I wanted to see and saw that it was 5,5hrs in total to get to Santa Cruz. Very doable I thought. It was however another road than the one I took and so it took me about 10hrs to get there. I wanted to take the road that went along the coast, and I did (mostly), but that takes a bit longer. I had no wifi anywhere so I couldn't check. I only had my GPS, CD3 a.k.a. Chrystal Destiny 3. The 1st was my friends that I went to Vegas and GC with, long story. And so I named mine the same, first car was CD2 and the 2nd car, CD3. She drove me nuts on the way. Saying stuff too late, telling me to do u-turns where I couldn't. And so thank you for your service, but after tomorrow, I'm glad to say goooodbye! I made a few stops on the way, one of 30min and two of 5min. I had a few more planned but after traffic jams, road works, detours and then running in to a closed road, I was done. I still had 2,5hrs to go and didn't want to risk making it longer by doing another stop. I saw amazing views on the way though, super pretty! Some made me think of Asia, some of Australia, some of Florida, I thought, that is why I went. Beautiful nature, from the ocean to every kind of mountains to beautiful birds. I saw falcons, pelicans, small birds. Oh and also, not a bird, elephant seals playing! Not all the way though and the radio didn't always work...a lot of Mexican radio and religious songs or talks. I chose to listen to a bit about God rather than listen to something I didn't understand. And it actually kept me awake.
I was glad when I got to the Inn in Santa Cruz at 7:30pm, it's next to the boardwalk but open till 5 pm. So much for choosing this inn. However a huge comfy bed made up for it!
I slept like a baby! And went on my merry way pretty early again, wanted to do a bit of shopping and go to Muir Woods before returning my car. Buuuut after shopping and getting close to San Francisco, there was again SOOOO MUCH traffic, I was so done with getting stuck in traffic that I decided to directly go into San Francisco and wondered if there was anything left to do and there was! I wanted to drive down Lombard street, the crookedest street in the world! And so I did, I then returned the car and made my way to the airport. Because I didn't go to Muir Woods, I had sooo much time left. So I almost finished my licor 43 bottle from Mexico mixed with OJ and watched YouTube videos.
And after an hour/hour and a half delay, I safely landed in Dusseldorf! And am now back home, my home sweet home! I did a load of laundry and unpacked. Almost like it never happened, but luckily I have the pictures to prove it :)!
Over & out,
T.
I was glad it didn't take too long for me to get to L.A., just a couple of hours. I left San Diego early so I would still have enough time that day in L.A. I already made a plan of what was close to each other. First stop; the Hollywood sign! I first drove through Hollywood Blvd and caught a glimpse of The Walk of Fame, I would come back later so continued driving. My GPS send me through a long narrow uphill street with lots of twists and turns, all the way up the mountain with houses left and right. It was very excited, especially when I couldn't see around the corner or when another car came from the other side. The road was partially cracked and in bad shape too, so that added to the excitement. I kept getting a glimpse of the sign and was wondering where my GPS would send me to and where this spot was (I found it online). When I finally got there, it was a bigger road and open fields of grass and lots of tourists. I parked the car and there it was, The Hollywood sign! Pretty cool! So if you do go, 3000 Canyon Drive (and try to go up and/or down the way I did). I of course decided to go back the same way as I came up, haha. After one turn, I saw something on the street, it was a coyote!! But it jumped back the way it came and disappeared into the woods. I continued my way down and drove to The Original Farmers Market. No so much a farmers market anymore, but so much fun to have lunch and walk around. I ordered a Philly Cheese Steak sandwich and when I picked it up, it was a bigger portion than I expected it to be. I then saw an old lady walking to her seat with the same thing I had, her husband was already waiting and thought they were sharing, a much better idea. But then she told her husband that his was coming and it was the same order. No wonder some Americans get so fat. And that's exactly how I felt, full, fat. I walked so much that day and hardly ate anything else. I had some time left on my parking (first 90 min are free with a purchase) and walked outside. It felt like I walked right into NY, jazzy music, the streets filled with shops, flowers etc. I later learned that was called The Grove! Super cool place!
I went back to the hostel to check in and relax for an hour or so before heading out again. I left to go to The Walk of Fame. I found parking that was $2 for 2 hours if you get it validated at one of their shops and buy something (as low as you want). I started walking and was close to The Chinese Theater, this is where all the hand- and footprints are. I loved it and so did many others with me. I then started to walk The Walk (of Fame), the first bit was pretty cool, but after a couple of blocks, it got a bit boring. I thought to myself: they give everyone a star don't they?! I though it was something special, but it didn't seem that special anymore. I walked and walked and walked though until I had to go back to the car. Since it was almost sunset, I decided to drive to the Observatory, but it was so busy, I kind of only saw a bit on the way. I then drove up the road next to the observatory to see the skyline at night. On my way back down, I saw another coyote near a park which also quickly disappeared. I didn't know much about them, if they were wild or not and I did see a few people walking near the park, but I continued driving. I later read there were about 150 sightings last year and also a few attacks. I hope nothing happened that night ;).
On day two, it was a bit clouded but again, there was still some stuff I wanted to see so off I went. First up, Rodeo Drive. The most expensive shopping street in the world and that's all it was. Just a shopping street, and in it driving expensive cars (besides the tourist cars). I then attempted in checking out a few celebrity houses but soon gave up, cause ah well, didn't feel like it I guess. I continued to Venice beach, it was still a bit clouded on the drive. The beach/boardwalk had a nice vibe, but in the end, it's just another beach. I think it would have been nice to do a bike ride on the bike paths they have, but I only had an hour parking so I just walked around. I then drove to the Santa Monica Pier, again searching for parking, going around and around and around. FYI: parking is easy if you're willing to pay the price ;). I wasn't, because I would only be there for an hour or two. I found Short term parking, 2$ for 2hrs. The clouds had gone and made way for the beautiful sun. I walked through the amusement park and over the pier. It was fun, good vibe, music. There was a guy that I'd like to call birdman, he was sitting on a bench with pigeons ans a seagull. He made a gesture to the pigeons with his index finger and the would fly on to his hand or hat, everywhere really. I saw him feeding them small crumbs, I guess he trained them. Fun to see! I decided that was enough fun for that day. I was tired and didn't feel like driving around anymore, always having to look for parking. At least it was mostly free in San Diego. I went to the hostel and just relaxed in- and outside for the rest of the afternoon.
It's funny how every billboard, bus ad, other ads I saw was all about movies and shows. Mostly promoting Amazon and Netflix. And I noticed, they park EVERYWHERE in L.A. You have to be careful and read the signs, the exceptions. But they would for instance park next to a sidewalk, which is also a lane on that street and so you have to use another lane. Annoying at times.
L.A. to Santa Cruz, CD3, you're fired!
I looked up a few stops that morning that I wanted to see and saw that it was 5,5hrs in total to get to Santa Cruz. Very doable I thought. It was however another road than the one I took and so it took me about 10hrs to get there. I wanted to take the road that went along the coast, and I did (mostly), but that takes a bit longer. I had no wifi anywhere so I couldn't check. I only had my GPS, CD3 a.k.a. Chrystal Destiny 3. The 1st was my friends that I went to Vegas and GC with, long story. And so I named mine the same, first car was CD2 and the 2nd car, CD3. She drove me nuts on the way. Saying stuff too late, telling me to do u-turns where I couldn't. And so thank you for your service, but after tomorrow, I'm glad to say goooodbye! I made a few stops on the way, one of 30min and two of 5min. I had a few more planned but after traffic jams, road works, detours and then running in to a closed road, I was done. I still had 2,5hrs to go and didn't want to risk making it longer by doing another stop. I saw amazing views on the way though, super pretty! Some made me think of Asia, some of Australia, some of Florida, I thought, that is why I went. Beautiful nature, from the ocean to every kind of mountains to beautiful birds. I saw falcons, pelicans, small birds. Oh and also, not a bird, elephant seals playing! Not all the way though and the radio didn't always work...a lot of Mexican radio and religious songs or talks. I chose to listen to a bit about God rather than listen to something I didn't understand. And it actually kept me awake.
I was glad when I got to the Inn in Santa Cruz at 7:30pm, it's next to the boardwalk but open till 5 pm. So much for choosing this inn. However a huge comfy bed made up for it!
I slept like a baby! And went on my merry way pretty early again, wanted to do a bit of shopping and go to Muir Woods before returning my car. Buuuut after shopping and getting close to San Francisco, there was again SOOOO MUCH traffic, I was so done with getting stuck in traffic that I decided to directly go into San Francisco and wondered if there was anything left to do and there was! I wanted to drive down Lombard street, the crookedest street in the world! And so I did, I then returned the car and made my way to the airport. Because I didn't go to Muir Woods, I had sooo much time left. So I almost finished my licor 43 bottle from Mexico mixed with OJ and watched YouTube videos.
And after an hour/hour and a half delay, I safely landed in Dusseldorf! And am now back home, my home sweet home! I did a load of laundry and unpacked. Almost like it never happened, but luckily I have the pictures to prove it :)!
Over & out,
T.
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
San Diego
Having a working car and a place to sleep, I was all set to start my San Diego visit :)! I slept great, had breakfast and left for a bit of sightseeing. I started at La Jolla Cove! The weather was beautiful, it took some time to get a parking spot, but that's also because a lot of parking is free or really cheap in and around the city and its hotspots and also because it was Sunday. When I found a spot, I made my way to the 'beach' (because of all the rocks, you couldn't swim in it). My first steps in sand this year and boy did it feel nice! I walked to sort of a hole in the rocks, where about 20 steps later I was on the other side, out looking the ocean again. And on my left, the first sea lions of that day.
After I went back up, there were so many more sea lions. I also spotted a new born and got yelled at by this lady, an animal activist I think, that warned me about the new born. She was yelling at everyone. Anyway, I then wanted to go back up and got yelled at again because there was another newborn on the other side, all alone, the mom had left and she said it was dangerous to go closer. I told her I was just making my way up. Anyway, I did then spotted the other new born and continued my way along the ocean. I loved seeing the ocean again, feeling that sea breeze, walking in the sun and seeing sea lions and birds everywhere. What a great start of the day!! I could have stayed so much longer, but because I knew it wouldn't be my only beach/ocean view of the day, I went back to the car.
Next up on my list was Mission Beach and Belmont park, located next to each other. Belmont park is an outdoor amusement park, again free parking. It didn't take long for me to find a spot this time. The park is free too, there's a bunch of attractions, but mostly for kids. There was however a roller coaster that I was interested in, but it didn't seem to ride, so I moved on and checked out a few shops. On the other side of Belmont park is Mission Beach and its boardwalk. I walked on it for a bit and this beach was a 'real beach', meaning people were swimming and laying on the beach. I continued and went for lunch at a pizza place out looking Belmont Park and a bit of the boardwalk. I heard a few screams in the distance and noticed that it came from the roller coaster, so after lunch I bought a ticket. The roller coaster was better than I expected, lots of fun!
After I'd seen and done enough, I made my way to Old Town. There's a lot of parking spots, both free and paid parking and it was quite busy. So again, it took a while before I found a free spot. Old Town is a bit of a mix between history and markets. There's a lot of old buildings that tell you more of the history of San Diego and also A LOT of Mexican shops, music, restaurants, market stalls. It almost felt like I was in Mexico. I also walked passed 'America's most haunted house' or so they say and went in to the 'general store' next door, this is where you can buy your tickets. I found a book with pictures of what was inside the house and its stories. I went through it and felt like the house wouldn't add much. After I walked back outside, I noticed it was around 5pm, I left around 10-ish. I felt tired and went back to the hostel for a well deserved nap (until I was woken by a noise about 30 min later). I then went to the store to get some stuff for dinner and ate.
I still wanted to do something at night and not just hang around, so I drove to Coronado to see the skyline at night. I wanted to go for sunset, but it was very cloudy at night. Crossing the bridge, the skyline looked great. But from across the bridge, not so much. I think I was on the wrong spot to have the best view too. Any way I drove back via Orange Ave, cool street! There's also an old movie theater, or well not old, but the way I know it from tv and movies, with a booth out front to get your tickets. Unfortunately it was already closed and I made my way back to the hostel for a good night sleep. That didn't happen, as some guy was snoring sooooooo loud and non stop. I finally fell asleep, but woke up again because an alarm went off non stop at 3:20 am, I asked the guy to turn it off and tried to go back to sleep.
After a rough night, I got up a bit later than I usually would, took a shower and went downstairs to get free breakfast. There wasn't much left though, some muffins and other sweet stuff. Luckily I had bought apples the day before. I visited Gaslamp Quarters, known for Victorian buildings standing side by side with modern buildings. I think it's cool to go at night and have a drink and dinner, so I walked the walk and left after an hour. If you do go and you go before 6pm, you can get parking for a dollar an hour at 6th Ave and K street. I then continued to Seaport Village and saw a HUGE statue of a sailor kissing his girl farewell or maybe when he returned. Next to it, the navy museum on a HUGE ship. I didn't go on, but saw a bit from where I was standing, standing together with dozens of Japanese people. I saw a sign that explained why. San Diego is a sister city of a city in Japan. This was all close to the hostel and I decided to go in for a pedicure, there was a salon behind the hostel. It was soooo nice, I sat in one of those massage chairs while the lady did the pedicure and massaged my feet and legs for a bit, they deserved it :)!
After a quick stop at the hostel, I went to Bilboa Park, a park filled with museums. I parked, again free and one of the first museums I saw was the Japanese Friendship Garden, which was the one I wanted to see. Leave it to the Japanese to create peace withing chaos. It was super busy outside, but once inside, so calm. Just like it can be in Japan. It was nicely set up and not too busy, so I could really enjoy it. I then walk around the rest of Bilboa Park, saw a few weird vehicles you could rent to see the park and didn't go in anything else except the Botanical building. After that I just sat in the sun for a bit and went to an outside mall to do a bit of browsing and shopping! Won't do much else today, except have dinner and finish my Tripadvisor reviews. Hopefully, I'll sleep better tonight since I'm leaving for L.A. tomorrow!! Can't wait to see what the city of stars has to offer!!
Sunday, May 14, 2017
Road trip Part I; From Tucson to San Diego
I woke up really early and tried to catch a bit more sleep since I was to drive about 6-7 hours / over 400 miles / about 700 km today, but it didn't work. So I got up, packed all my stuff and waited for a bit, I then ate my last breakfast with my friend at her house before she dropped me off to the Dollar Rent A Car center. The guy that was helping me asked me if they quoted the price to me, to which I said yes and I knew he'd ask me because it was ridiculously cheap, that's why I wanted to rent a car from Tucson. And he said something, it was all a bit weird. He then kept going on and on about the insurance and that I would have to pay for the days it was in the shop too if anything would happen, etc. Then he told me that I would have to pay the full amount of the car, about 20.000$ if something bad happened and named the total price, which was still cheap. So I asked him twice if that was the total and he said yes. My friend was waiting and I just said, fine. Because I knew I would hate myself if something happened and I didn't get the insurance. And then he went, you do get a 'free' GPS, normally 16$ a day (also BS) is what he told me (the GPS was stuck to the car so it wasn't like he did me a favor or anything). Anyway, I went outside, took a final picture with my friend (she put the same dress on, I forgot mine) as 3 years ago when we said our farewells and so we said our farewells again. My car, a Toyota Jarvis, was blue and pretty cool, a real smurf (for those who don't know, even though my own car is grey/silver, I call it a Smurf too)!
So after driving for about an hour, I heard a noise and I was afraid that it was one of the tires. So I stopped as soon as I could and it was a piece of plastic at the front that I was able to just 'smack' back in its place. It kept happening though, so I stopped a few times to put it back in its place, but after a while it seemed pointless and I left it as it was. When I did the first time, I also checked the paperwork (a bit late I know, but I trusted what the guy told me) and the amount was about 120$ more of what he had told and showed me before I signed. So I was kind of pissed off, but tried to let it go because it was just money...you'll read later on, that I couldn't let it go though.
The views were pretty cool, but after a while it was all the same and there weren't a lot of places to stop or exits that were interesting, so it got tiring to drive. And so to get to San Diego asap, I was kind of speeding...that is, until a cop came out 'of the bushes' and followed me. Oh oh...I took the exit and he followed. He asked for my driving license and where I came from and where I was headed, etc. I of course said I thought it was still a 75 miles zone and tried to pass the truck which was why I was speeding a bit, he told me I went 84 in a 65 miles per hour zone. Anyway, I don't think he knew what to do with my foreign passport and driving licence and angel eyes :p and let me off with a warning. I only had about 100 miles left after that, so out of about 450 in total, not bad right. I obviously did not speed again after that, thinking he had told his buddies further down the road to watch out for my Smurf. But my next problem would soon occur.
It said that the next services were in 32 miles (gas, etc). And according to what I'd done with the first half of the tank, it shouldn't be a problem to make it for another 32 miles. But boy oh boy, it got pretty tight because of a detour and a skipped services exit!! I found another feature of the car that didn't work properly, the gas level indicator. And all of a sudden, it was on E(mpty) and the gas light went on and I was in the middle of nowhere! I had no clue when the next services would come up, because of the detour. So I stopped at the closest Call Box, a phone on the side of the road every couple of miles or so. You can use that for anything really, and I asked the guy if he could tell me when the next gas station would come up. And so he said in about 15-20 miles. The light had been on for a good amount of miles and I had no idea if I would make it... until I saw the gas station, halleluja! I also told myself never again, not here in the middle of the dessert anyway!
I kept on going and towards the end, and the roads kept going up and the air got cooler (the windows were open most of the time, but I also saw temperature in my dashboard display), I went from 95°f this morning to 68°f in the end, so in Celsius from 35 to 20!! Brrr, elevation went up to over 4000ft too. Which gave me new views, mountains, rocky mountains, etc. Pretty entertaining again and soon after I arrived in the city and it wouldn't be long before I would be at the hostel.
I was glad when I finally got to the hostel!!! The ride was over! I told myself that I will make more, longer stops when I do another 6-7 hours later on this week, which shouldn't be too hard since there's a few things I want to see on the way. On this trip, I really only stopped 4 or 5 times, to fix the car, when the cop stopped me, to get a drink and use the restroom and to get gas. Because there was little to do and I just wanted to get to San Diego without this car breaking down on me. The hostel is pretty cool, it's called Hi San Diego Point Loma and there's lots of neat looking common areas, the mattress looks really thick too so I am excited to sleep on it!
The amount I paid for the car still bothered me plus the fact that the car had its issues. So instead of cruising around and go sightseeing, I decided to find a Dollar Rent A Car office in the city. I got there and bless the guy I talked to, Fred. He's the guy outside that you return your car too and then checks the cars. He told me that the amount wasn't right for the insurance, this was more for an SUV or something and I just had a compact, the smallest size available. He told me he would fix it, I would have to go inside and explain my story again and he would make sure I would have the GPS again for free as well because of the inconvenience. He told me to go to the Compact area and see if there was a car with GPS standing there, if not, he would make sure I got it. I picked out the same car with GPS inside it, just a silver model instead of blue. I then went inside the office to get the paperwork done. The guy that helped me, Leo, said that the guy that helped me this morning just manually entered an amount because the rental costs were so low and I guess he was trying to make money. And so Leo changed it to the actual amount and it saved me 150$!! I don't like complaining, but it just didn't feel right and so I'm glad I went there. I had about a third of a tank left, a window full of dead bugs, but I got a just washed, clean car back with another full tank :)! They also told me to file a complaint against that guy and so I will. My heroes of the day!! It really made my day and just goes to show that there are still (so many) good people around! I remember Fred saying, I'll make sure we will fix it for you, because I don't want anyone to leave my area unhappy. And I left with a smile :).
So after driving for about an hour, I heard a noise and I was afraid that it was one of the tires. So I stopped as soon as I could and it was a piece of plastic at the front that I was able to just 'smack' back in its place. It kept happening though, so I stopped a few times to put it back in its place, but after a while it seemed pointless and I left it as it was. When I did the first time, I also checked the paperwork (a bit late I know, but I trusted what the guy told me) and the amount was about 120$ more of what he had told and showed me before I signed. So I was kind of pissed off, but tried to let it go because it was just money...you'll read later on, that I couldn't let it go though.
The views were pretty cool, but after a while it was all the same and there weren't a lot of places to stop or exits that were interesting, so it got tiring to drive. And so to get to San Diego asap, I was kind of speeding...that is, until a cop came out 'of the bushes' and followed me. Oh oh...I took the exit and he followed. He asked for my driving license and where I came from and where I was headed, etc. I of course said I thought it was still a 75 miles zone and tried to pass the truck which was why I was speeding a bit, he told me I went 84 in a 65 miles per hour zone. Anyway, I don't think he knew what to do with my foreign passport and driving licence and angel eyes :p and let me off with a warning. I only had about 100 miles left after that, so out of about 450 in total, not bad right. I obviously did not speed again after that, thinking he had told his buddies further down the road to watch out for my Smurf. But my next problem would soon occur.
It said that the next services were in 32 miles (gas, etc). And according to what I'd done with the first half of the tank, it shouldn't be a problem to make it for another 32 miles. But boy oh boy, it got pretty tight because of a detour and a skipped services exit!! I found another feature of the car that didn't work properly, the gas level indicator. And all of a sudden, it was on E(mpty) and the gas light went on and I was in the middle of nowhere! I had no clue when the next services would come up, because of the detour. So I stopped at the closest Call Box, a phone on the side of the road every couple of miles or so. You can use that for anything really, and I asked the guy if he could tell me when the next gas station would come up. And so he said in about 15-20 miles. The light had been on for a good amount of miles and I had no idea if I would make it... until I saw the gas station, halleluja! I also told myself never again, not here in the middle of the dessert anyway!
I kept on going and towards the end, and the roads kept going up and the air got cooler (the windows were open most of the time, but I also saw temperature in my dashboard display), I went from 95°f this morning to 68°f in the end, so in Celsius from 35 to 20!! Brrr, elevation went up to over 4000ft too. Which gave me new views, mountains, rocky mountains, etc. Pretty entertaining again and soon after I arrived in the city and it wouldn't be long before I would be at the hostel.
I was glad when I finally got to the hostel!!! The ride was over! I told myself that I will make more, longer stops when I do another 6-7 hours later on this week, which shouldn't be too hard since there's a few things I want to see on the way. On this trip, I really only stopped 4 or 5 times, to fix the car, when the cop stopped me, to get a drink and use the restroom and to get gas. Because there was little to do and I just wanted to get to San Diego without this car breaking down on me. The hostel is pretty cool, it's called Hi San Diego Point Loma and there's lots of neat looking common areas, the mattress looks really thick too so I am excited to sleep on it!
The amount I paid for the car still bothered me plus the fact that the car had its issues. So instead of cruising around and go sightseeing, I decided to find a Dollar Rent A Car office in the city. I got there and bless the guy I talked to, Fred. He's the guy outside that you return your car too and then checks the cars. He told me that the amount wasn't right for the insurance, this was more for an SUV or something and I just had a compact, the smallest size available. He told me he would fix it, I would have to go inside and explain my story again and he would make sure I would have the GPS again for free as well because of the inconvenience. He told me to go to the Compact area and see if there was a car with GPS standing there, if not, he would make sure I got it. I picked out the same car with GPS inside it, just a silver model instead of blue. I then went inside the office to get the paperwork done. The guy that helped me, Leo, said that the guy that helped me this morning just manually entered an amount because the rental costs were so low and I guess he was trying to make money. And so Leo changed it to the actual amount and it saved me 150$!! I don't like complaining, but it just didn't feel right and so I'm glad I went there. I had about a third of a tank left, a window full of dead bugs, but I got a just washed, clean car back with another full tank :)! They also told me to file a complaint against that guy and so I will. My heroes of the day!! It really made my day and just goes to show that there are still (so many) good people around! I remember Fred saying, I'll make sure we will fix it for you, because I don't want anyone to leave my area unhappy. And I left with a smile :).
Saturday, May 13, 2017
From Frisco to Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon to Tucson!
A few weeks ago I didn't even know why I booked this trip. I figured it was to go back to San Francisco to meet up with my cousin who was studying there, and travel with a friend that was also going to start in Frisco and oh yeah, I saw a cheap ticket and just booked. And here I was, a few days into my 'trip', discovering another side of the US. I've always gone to Florida, hung out with family, friends, and getting some of that yearly dose of sunshine that I apparently can't live without anymore, but I saw another side and realized that this was why I went!
I flew into San Francisco kind of late at night, my friend from back home got there a day before me, and we met up for dinner. The next morning, we headed out to Fishermans Wharf on the F-train, old trams/trolleys, really cool! From there, we started walking and rented bikes on the way, something I had also done nearly 10 years ago! It seems unreal, but there I was, yet again, (halfway) crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. The weather was on our side, a bit of wind and sunny. We returned our bikes and headed towards the Ferry Building for lunch, I had seen a Farmers Market there and was hoping for good food! Most of the stalls were closing, so all we had was a bit of Indian naan bread with dip, delicious :)! Headed back to the city and met up with my cousin for about an hour before we had to head to the airport to catch our flight to Vegas!
After a delayed flight, we picked up our rental car and headed towards the Las Vegas strip! We arrived on a Saturday and since weekends are super expensive around the strip, we spent our first night at a hotel across Fremont Street, the old strip! Anyway, the Las Vegas strip was lit up, lights everywhere! It took forever to cross, but there was so much to see so it was okay. We passed our hotel for the second night, but I'll tell you more about that later ;)!
After check in and being amazed about the people that seem to spent day and night gambling and drinking, we headed out to Fremont Street. Full of life, lights, music, booze, performances, it was chaos, but also so much fun!!! I saw a bunch of stuff 'as seen on tv', such as the Slotzilla zipline and the Heart attack burger place. We walked around for a bit and got a frozen drink before we headed back to the hotel. A couple that I started talking to at the traffic lights kind of followed us inside and were in for drinks and fun, but we were so tired that we just couldn't. The guy gave me a quarter and told me to flick it somewhere back home (for good luck). I promised I would, but accidentally used it at Walmart later on...woops..I also found a Canadian quarter and will have to flick that one back home somewhere instead ;).
We woke up in super fun Vegas and walked on that same street we went to yesterday. It was so different and kind of empty, except for a few drunks (which is what Vegas is for ;)). We had an all American breakfast, checked out and headed towards the Silver and Gold Pawn Shop (as seen on tv), funny stuff. We then headed to Walmart to pick up supplies. The weather was shit so it was ok to be inside and we still had a few hours to kill before check in. We drove back to the Las Vegas Strip 'in search' of our hotel. Ready?! Paris Las Vegas, across from the Bellagio. We got a super good/cheap deal on Hotwire (hotels are cheaper from Sunday to Thursday on the strip anyway). Walking into this hotel was surreal, little shops, and blue (painted) skies. I e-mailed the hotel when we booked stating we were there to celebrate my friends birthday (which was on the Wednesday before) and ask for a room with a view. They told me we could go up to the 11th without extra charge and have a view on the Eiffeltower...or go up to the 32nd floor, it doesn't get higher than that for $45. F*ck it, it's Vegas, so I went for it and holy crap, was it worth it! Our room had a view of the Bellagio, its fountain (show) and the Eiffeltower and of course the strip. The rooms next to us were all suites, so we had done well! The room, the beds, the view, amazing!! Such a shame we only had one night. We walked around the strip and its hotels, the casino's, the shops. Went from Paris, to Venice, to New York, a little world trip, right there in Las Vegas! I played a dollar in each casino and I pretty much played even! I only won in our first hotel and, how could it be any different, in Bellagio! We also went to a Blue Man Group show, fantastic!!! I loved it! I almost got my head squashed by a flying rubber jello-thingy, haha. So much fun though! Enjoyed every last bit of luxury we could before checking out and having yet another all American Breakfast at the Ihop! Bye Las Vegas, until we meet again!
Said goodbye to comfort and luxury as we headed out to a campground at the Grand Canyon National Park! A little road trip from Las Vegas via Hoover Dam to Grand Canyon. I wasn't to impressed with the dam, but all the more with the first sights of the Grand Canyon! We got there just in time for the sunset, beautiful!! We were suppose to go the sunrise the next morning but rain stopped us. My friend had a tent and slept in there since she'll go on visiting more National parks. I slept in the car. It was freezing at night! Must have had something to do with the fact that the elevation was about 7000ft. It was around 4°c if not colder. We stayed in for a bit until the skies cleared. We then headed out for breakfast and the weather just got worse and worse until we ended up in a snowstorm (rain, snow, hail). Luckily we spent most of it in a shuttle bus touring the park, we obviously couldn't see a thing! It was so cloudy and storming. I must say, I kind of liked it. Well I did when I was inside anyway! We headed back to 'our' table at one of the lodges restaurants and waited..the skies cleared again and we headed out to the Rim Trail. The views were AMAZING!! Still a few clouds that passed, but we had such cool views of the Canyon! No sunset that day, but eh we already saw one!
When we arrived back to the campsite, my friends tent hadn't survived the snowstorm, it was wet inside and one of the poles had snapped. So we both spent the freezing night in the car. It seemed colder than the night before and time seemed to be going sooo slow! After packing up and breakfast the next morning, we said our goodbyes and headed in different directions. Mine was towards Tucson, to visit a friend I met in Fiji 3 years ago! So excited to see her and good weather ahead!! It took me 3 shuttle buses and about 8,5hrs to get to Tucson. I've seen some pretty neat stuff on the way. And although I know I am in the US, it feels like I am in a different world from Florida! There's mountains everywhere, giant cactus, people are different too. It's fun to experience a different side of the US! And I had plenty of time to take it all in during my trip towards Tucson.
It is however just as warm as it can be in Florida! Just a more dry heat, very nice! We walked around in the university area for a bit and had dinner at Pei Wei, an Asian place. After that we went home and how could it be any different, before I knew it, I was drinking two drinks at the same time haha, trying out booze I had never seen before. And then off to bed, a real bed again! So nice!!!
I was to decide what to do the next day...and was told we were very close to Mexico, so I just couldn't pass up the opportunity. We went to Nogales, Mexico, just about an hour ride from Tucson.. just like me going to Germany at home. We parked the car, walked to the duty free shop, bought a bottle of alcohol each (that's all you are allowed to 'bring'), walked over the border (very strange, exciting and cool at the same time) and that was all, we were in Mexico!!! Walked around for a bit before walking back to the United States, and that's that. I just 'walked' to Mexico and back! So cool! Anyways, after that we stopped by Xavier Mission, a historic mission, and walked in and around it. And I had my first ever Indian fry bread, flat dough bread, fried in oil. I just had a plain one, but you can also get it with curry or as a taco. Pretty tasty but also oily. We continued to Old Desert Museum, which isn't really a museum, but more a botanic garden/zoo. This is the place to go to see what Arizona has to offer when it comes to wildlife, flora and fauna. It was very sunny and therefor nice to be outside. I saw all kinds of animals and plants. Kind of funny, most of it is also in our zoo back home in the Desert section. So strange to actually be in the place where the animals and plants came from! We ended the night going to a casino nearby, there was a Lynard Skynyrd tribute band playing. We listened to music and tried out our luck. I won about $5 until I cashed out anyway. My friend won about 65$!!
My last day in Tucson, time flies when you're having fun, plus I only would be here for 3 nights anyway. Went to the pool for a bit and laid in the sun. I enjoyed that so much!! After that we went to Happy Hour at Guadalajara, the Margaritas were $4 and ginormous! We then went to A mountain, a big mountain with an A (for Arizona) on it to watch sunset. It was beautiful!! And I was able to see a lot of the city (lights) and mountains too! After sunset we went to the Tanque Verde Swap Meet, a huge outside market. It felt like being back in Mexico, since most people selling and walking around were Mexican. Fun to do though. And there it is, my last night here. Leaving early tomorrow to pick up my rental car and to start my very own road trip!!!
I flew into San Francisco kind of late at night, my friend from back home got there a day before me, and we met up for dinner. The next morning, we headed out to Fishermans Wharf on the F-train, old trams/trolleys, really cool! From there, we started walking and rented bikes on the way, something I had also done nearly 10 years ago! It seems unreal, but there I was, yet again, (halfway) crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. The weather was on our side, a bit of wind and sunny. We returned our bikes and headed towards the Ferry Building for lunch, I had seen a Farmers Market there and was hoping for good food! Most of the stalls were closing, so all we had was a bit of Indian naan bread with dip, delicious :)! Headed back to the city and met up with my cousin for about an hour before we had to head to the airport to catch our flight to Vegas!
After a delayed flight, we picked up our rental car and headed towards the Las Vegas strip! We arrived on a Saturday and since weekends are super expensive around the strip, we spent our first night at a hotel across Fremont Street, the old strip! Anyway, the Las Vegas strip was lit up, lights everywhere! It took forever to cross, but there was so much to see so it was okay. We passed our hotel for the second night, but I'll tell you more about that later ;)!
After check in and being amazed about the people that seem to spent day and night gambling and drinking, we headed out to Fremont Street. Full of life, lights, music, booze, performances, it was chaos, but also so much fun!!! I saw a bunch of stuff 'as seen on tv', such as the Slotzilla zipline and the Heart attack burger place. We walked around for a bit and got a frozen drink before we headed back to the hotel. A couple that I started talking to at the traffic lights kind of followed us inside and were in for drinks and fun, but we were so tired that we just couldn't. The guy gave me a quarter and told me to flick it somewhere back home (for good luck). I promised I would, but accidentally used it at Walmart later on...woops..I also found a Canadian quarter and will have to flick that one back home somewhere instead ;).
We woke up in super fun Vegas and walked on that same street we went to yesterday. It was so different and kind of empty, except for a few drunks (which is what Vegas is for ;)). We had an all American breakfast, checked out and headed towards the Silver and Gold Pawn Shop (as seen on tv), funny stuff. We then headed to Walmart to pick up supplies. The weather was shit so it was ok to be inside and we still had a few hours to kill before check in. We drove back to the Las Vegas Strip 'in search' of our hotel. Ready?! Paris Las Vegas, across from the Bellagio. We got a super good/cheap deal on Hotwire (hotels are cheaper from Sunday to Thursday on the strip anyway). Walking into this hotel was surreal, little shops, and blue (painted) skies. I e-mailed the hotel when we booked stating we were there to celebrate my friends birthday (which was on the Wednesday before) and ask for a room with a view. They told me we could go up to the 11th without extra charge and have a view on the Eiffeltower...or go up to the 32nd floor, it doesn't get higher than that for $45. F*ck it, it's Vegas, so I went for it and holy crap, was it worth it! Our room had a view of the Bellagio, its fountain (show) and the Eiffeltower and of course the strip. The rooms next to us were all suites, so we had done well! The room, the beds, the view, amazing!! Such a shame we only had one night. We walked around the strip and its hotels, the casino's, the shops. Went from Paris, to Venice, to New York, a little world trip, right there in Las Vegas! I played a dollar in each casino and I pretty much played even! I only won in our first hotel and, how could it be any different, in Bellagio! We also went to a Blue Man Group show, fantastic!!! I loved it! I almost got my head squashed by a flying rubber jello-thingy, haha. So much fun though! Enjoyed every last bit of luxury we could before checking out and having yet another all American Breakfast at the Ihop! Bye Las Vegas, until we meet again!
Said goodbye to comfort and luxury as we headed out to a campground at the Grand Canyon National Park! A little road trip from Las Vegas via Hoover Dam to Grand Canyon. I wasn't to impressed with the dam, but all the more with the first sights of the Grand Canyon! We got there just in time for the sunset, beautiful!! We were suppose to go the sunrise the next morning but rain stopped us. My friend had a tent and slept in there since she'll go on visiting more National parks. I slept in the car. It was freezing at night! Must have had something to do with the fact that the elevation was about 7000ft. It was around 4°c if not colder. We stayed in for a bit until the skies cleared. We then headed out for breakfast and the weather just got worse and worse until we ended up in a snowstorm (rain, snow, hail). Luckily we spent most of it in a shuttle bus touring the park, we obviously couldn't see a thing! It was so cloudy and storming. I must say, I kind of liked it. Well I did when I was inside anyway! We headed back to 'our' table at one of the lodges restaurants and waited..the skies cleared again and we headed out to the Rim Trail. The views were AMAZING!! Still a few clouds that passed, but we had such cool views of the Canyon! No sunset that day, but eh we already saw one!
When we arrived back to the campsite, my friends tent hadn't survived the snowstorm, it was wet inside and one of the poles had snapped. So we both spent the freezing night in the car. It seemed colder than the night before and time seemed to be going sooo slow! After packing up and breakfast the next morning, we said our goodbyes and headed in different directions. Mine was towards Tucson, to visit a friend I met in Fiji 3 years ago! So excited to see her and good weather ahead!! It took me 3 shuttle buses and about 8,5hrs to get to Tucson. I've seen some pretty neat stuff on the way. And although I know I am in the US, it feels like I am in a different world from Florida! There's mountains everywhere, giant cactus, people are different too. It's fun to experience a different side of the US! And I had plenty of time to take it all in during my trip towards Tucson.
It is however just as warm as it can be in Florida! Just a more dry heat, very nice! We walked around in the university area for a bit and had dinner at Pei Wei, an Asian place. After that we went home and how could it be any different, before I knew it, I was drinking two drinks at the same time haha, trying out booze I had never seen before. And then off to bed, a real bed again! So nice!!!
I was to decide what to do the next day...and was told we were very close to Mexico, so I just couldn't pass up the opportunity. We went to Nogales, Mexico, just about an hour ride from Tucson.. just like me going to Germany at home. We parked the car, walked to the duty free shop, bought a bottle of alcohol each (that's all you are allowed to 'bring'), walked over the border (very strange, exciting and cool at the same time) and that was all, we were in Mexico!!! Walked around for a bit before walking back to the United States, and that's that. I just 'walked' to Mexico and back! So cool! Anyways, after that we stopped by Xavier Mission, a historic mission, and walked in and around it. And I had my first ever Indian fry bread, flat dough bread, fried in oil. I just had a plain one, but you can also get it with curry or as a taco. Pretty tasty but also oily. We continued to Old Desert Museum, which isn't really a museum, but more a botanic garden/zoo. This is the place to go to see what Arizona has to offer when it comes to wildlife, flora and fauna. It was very sunny and therefor nice to be outside. I saw all kinds of animals and plants. Kind of funny, most of it is also in our zoo back home in the Desert section. So strange to actually be in the place where the animals and plants came from! We ended the night going to a casino nearby, there was a Lynard Skynyrd tribute band playing. We listened to music and tried out our luck. I won about $5 until I cashed out anyway. My friend won about 65$!!
My last day in Tucson, time flies when you're having fun, plus I only would be here for 3 nights anyway. Went to the pool for a bit and laid in the sun. I enjoyed that so much!! After that we went to Happy Hour at Guadalajara, the Margaritas were $4 and ginormous! We then went to A mountain, a big mountain with an A (for Arizona) on it to watch sunset. It was beautiful!! And I was able to see a lot of the city (lights) and mountains too! After sunset we went to the Tanque Verde Swap Meet, a huge outside market. It felt like being back in Mexico, since most people selling and walking around were Mexican. Fun to do though. And there it is, my last night here. Leaving early tomorrow to pick up my rental car and to start my very own road trip!!!
Monday, February 06, 2017
A week in San Francisco / A circle completed
I always get such a rush from flying. That walk to the gate, to the aircraft, to my seat. Another adventure, another 'trip'. Looking out the window, I remember to appreciate the little things but also the 'big' things, some of which we take for granted. Such as flying on an airplane, a 'metal box', that takes you from A to B, I mean, seriously? Who would have thought that decades ago?! The same with cellphones these days, everyone is so invested in them, the same goes for me. You automatically grab your phone for bus times, the actors name in a movie, news, etc. Even though I would also often leave it lying next to me for hours at a time. And then, my phone was stolen (incl. some of my cards) last week, just days before I was flying. At first I obviously panicked for a few minutes, but then it was what it was. I couldn't get to worked up about it, and it was kind of a relief. Not that I am not happy to have another one :). But it was quiet. Brought me back when you met people by telling them where you would be at what time and if they weren't there or if you were running late, just hope for the best. I remember once that I told friends that if I wouldn't be at the cinema at such and such time, I wouldn't join them. And then I missed the bus...I actually ran from my house, over the bridge, arriving just in time, out of breath, but I made it. Those were the days.
Anyways, back to flying. The rush I get and the excitement! I also love watching movies on board. And maybe because there are no distractions whatsoever, I am totally there, in the movie. Laughing, crying, it's as if I believe everything is possible again, it's just, beautiful (**barf, I know). Anyways, whenever I'm flying to a new destination, especially when I know I''ll be meeting new people, it's as if it's a clean slate and I can be whomever I want.
Oh just to clarify, I flew to San Francisco. I was here once before, almost exactly 9 years ago. And this time I was visiting my cousin from The Netherlands who is studying a term of Law in the city.
I arrived in San Francisco (SF), some of the things looked vaguely familiar, but I so forgot about all the hills. SF is NOT FLAT AT ALL! So there I was with my duffel bag without wheels (not too heavy but still), not expecting to walk all the way up, but I made it, huffing and puffing. Amsterdam Hostel, how convenient. The hostel is a bit, well a lot, outdated but for the price I paid, it's fine. SF is a super expensive city, even hostels can cost you up to 50$ a night. Amsterdam Hostel is about half that, so I couldn't expect it to be fancy and stuff.
Met up with my cousin soon after, which was funny, to visit her in SF! And we went for an all American Diner, Burger & fries! Afterwards we went to a wine bar and ordered a bottle of wine. We even got a glass for free. My cousin told me that a visit to SF wasn't complete without a free drink, so CHECK.
Since my cousin is studying, we had limited time together but made the most of it! First thing I noticed was the smell..the smell of pot/weed. It's legal here and so, the smell is everywhere!! Anyway, we walked down to the port, passed this fresh food market (kind of like the food halls in Rotterdam) and sat outside in the sun, it was s nice!! My cousin told me it had been raining pretty much non stop the last weeks, so I was lucky :)! Any I've been lucky all week long. It didn't start raining again until I left!
So after our little sunbathing session, my cousin left for school and I returned to the hostel to change my shoes. Since I had already developed blisters wearing the wrong shoes. After that I walked through China Town, one of the biggest ones I've ever seen!! I also noticed that there are so many Asians in SF!! Not just Chinese, Japanese too (explaining Japantown, but I'll come back to that). From China town to Lombard street, the crookedest street which I did remember seeing last time. And then on to Fisherman's Wharf since I was 'so' close. Once I got there, I was done, my feet wouldn't move and I figured I would come back with my cousin and walk around. There's also a lot of homeless people in SF and a lot of street artists too, one guy said he was a rapper and he told me, and I quote: "You look just like Adele, your beauty isn't lying so why should I right in front of you". Yeah, alright, good bye. Took a cable car back to the hostel and met up with my cousins a few hours after that to go out. What a difference a day makes! We went on a pub crawl, just so she could show me this bar, Kozy, basically a bar filled with a couple of tv screens that show porn scenes, not constantly, but they're there.
In my week here I noticed that a lot of guys just talk to you, without any shame, and hoping to bring some game. It takes some getting used to, but you do meet a lot of people this way. Just so different from home. And even though SF is such an expensive city, the booze isn't. There's happy hour everywhere, everyday. There's $1 mixed drinks, strong too and cheap drink deals everywhere. There's also the Battle of the Decades, starting with $1 drinks and music from the 6o's, going up a dollar each hour and a decade in music. So $2 and 70's music, $3 and 80's music, etc. And then there's the creme the la creme, knowing the owner of a club. My cousin introduced me to him and I got free drinks, as did she obviously. So whatever we wanted, he made. Some were super strong resulting in a very very very drunken night.
But enough about my drinking habit. Since I did want to see and do as much as possible and not just drink, oh and bars already close at 2am in SF, I got up as early as I could to do a bit of sightseeing. Since it was the weekend, my cousin was able to join me. We decided to go to The Golden Gate Park, they all use Uber and Lyft to get around here. And when choosing shared rides, often ending up paying less than public transportation. I had a shitty map and so I thought the park was about a third of what it was and we ended up walking all the way to the end, to see the windmills and the beach (that was sooooo lovely in the sun)!! And then all the way back. We met a local and he told us we could go up in the museum tower for free, great view of the city! We walked about 20 km that day!! I walked about 10 km on most of the other days.
After another night of drinking, we went to Fisherman's Wharf. It looked so different from when I was there 9 years ago. All these new attractions; Madam Tussauds, SF Dungeon, Ripley's believe it or not. I didn't recognize it too much. We then walked to pier 39 where the sea lions kind of took over. Same same, I remembered this. And we also got a good look at Alcatraz from there. We walked over to Hyde st. pier but it was already closed (I'll come back to this). And oh we went to a Gospel Church, so much fun and so much energy!!!
I was suppose to go to the Muir Woods and Sausolito the day after, but the tour buses weren't allowed to go up there until further notice, I was still able to go to Sausolito though. The guy told me I could get a full refund and asked me if I wanted to do anything else. So I told him about Sausolito and wanting to see the Golden Gate bridge from Point Vista. He told me I could do all that for free today and wrote on my ticket: "Let her on the blue line and pink. Ray". Thank you, Ray! Another beautiful day and a free tour! The colors of the Golden Gate Bridge seemed faded to me, not as red (international orange they call it) as I remember. I learned it hadn't been painted almost ever since it was built. Sausolito is a cute harbor kind of city. Walked around for about an hour, enjoyed the views, the people, the little shops! And took another tour around the city, it's not like I had anything better to do! That night, me and my cousing went to The View during sunset and to have a cocktail, The View is a skybar with an amazing view of the city and beautiful during sunset!
Another sunny day in SF, I walked around Haight Ashbury with my cousin until she had to go back to school. Haight Ashbury and it's intersection on Haight and Ashbury st. is famous for the Summer of Love! This little area is therefor filled with hippie like shops. I decided to keep walking, since it all looked close by on my map. I went to Alamo Square, famous for it's painted ladies. Victorian houses with at least three colors. I took the postcard shot as well as I could. The park was under construction, but they had left the view point open. I walked around in the neighborhood a bit and saw a lot more of these houses and continued my way to look for the Full House house. After an hour or so I found it, and again realized that my map wasn't up to scale on this bit. I continued my way to Japan town! And after walking for about 4 hours and not eating because I couldn't find a nice spot to eat, I was really excited! I walked into a Japanese supermarket and it brought me straight back to Japan. I loved it!! And I then found a Daiko, kind of a Japanese dollarshop, loved it!! Everything was Japanese and most of it's customers were too. Of course I bought some weird stuff there, such as chair socks and a cutlery camping set (spoon, knife, fork and sticks). I then, even though I really didn't want to, walked back to the hostel. Exhausted.
On my last full day, I went to the SF dungeon, I had already been to the one in London and Amsterdam and after finding a 50% coupon, I kind of had to go! It was funny and well done!! Some of it was the same as in the other cities, but this one ended with a bit on Alcatraz, so that was cool! After that I almost went back to the F train (old school tram) to see Castro but remembered that I hadn't been to the Hyde st. pier yet (the one that had already closed when I went with my cousin). I was tired and kind of done walking around in SF, but went anyway. I walked with my head down and then lifted it...and then it happened..
I recognized a spot and an instant smile appeared on my face. And I didn't just recognize it, it was the image I've had in my head every time I think of SF and the one I was looking for before. I stood on the same place I stood 9 years ago, touching the Pacific Ocean for the very first time. I couldn't find the spot before and so I kind of forgot about it, but there it was. I kind of recognize some of the other spots I went to in SF, but this was different, I mean, this was it!!! And I smiled, it was also my first glimpse of the Golden Gate bridge. I just kept smiling, it's almost like I went back, back to what I felt 9 years ago when I came here and stood here (I remember this moment like it was yesterday). To meet up with friends (from back home and one that I had met in the Keys) after my internship in Florida, just 19 years old and I finished my internship in January, so I was here about the same date as today. Sitting there made me feel calm, and happy. It was one of the first times, 9 years ago, of me being abroad and in a hostel, getting a taste of a different culture. And wow, look at the last 9 years. What I've seen and done. Maybe this is where the seed was planted and where today, a giant tree stands. A tree that will someday grow up into the sky and reach for the stars. A circle completed with a proud feeling. Thank you San Francisco for not changing this one spot that apparently means so much to me.
And it feels like moments later, that I was sitting on the train going home and overheard a Dutch guy, Jelle, saying to some German tourists, "Well, nice to meet you, strong but powerful" (literally translated from a Dutch saying "kort maar krachtig"). And I realized, I was home again..
Anyways, back to flying. The rush I get and the excitement! I also love watching movies on board. And maybe because there are no distractions whatsoever, I am totally there, in the movie. Laughing, crying, it's as if I believe everything is possible again, it's just, beautiful (**barf, I know). Anyways, whenever I'm flying to a new destination, especially when I know I''ll be meeting new people, it's as if it's a clean slate and I can be whomever I want.
Oh just to clarify, I flew to San Francisco. I was here once before, almost exactly 9 years ago. And this time I was visiting my cousin from The Netherlands who is studying a term of Law in the city.
I arrived in San Francisco (SF), some of the things looked vaguely familiar, but I so forgot about all the hills. SF is NOT FLAT AT ALL! So there I was with my duffel bag without wheels (not too heavy but still), not expecting to walk all the way up, but I made it, huffing and puffing. Amsterdam Hostel, how convenient. The hostel is a bit, well a lot, outdated but for the price I paid, it's fine. SF is a super expensive city, even hostels can cost you up to 50$ a night. Amsterdam Hostel is about half that, so I couldn't expect it to be fancy and stuff.
Met up with my cousin soon after, which was funny, to visit her in SF! And we went for an all American Diner, Burger & fries! Afterwards we went to a wine bar and ordered a bottle of wine. We even got a glass for free. My cousin told me that a visit to SF wasn't complete without a free drink, so CHECK.
Since my cousin is studying, we had limited time together but made the most of it! First thing I noticed was the smell..the smell of pot/weed. It's legal here and so, the smell is everywhere!! Anyway, we walked down to the port, passed this fresh food market (kind of like the food halls in Rotterdam) and sat outside in the sun, it was s nice!! My cousin told me it had been raining pretty much non stop the last weeks, so I was lucky :)! Any I've been lucky all week long. It didn't start raining again until I left!
So after our little sunbathing session, my cousin left for school and I returned to the hostel to change my shoes. Since I had already developed blisters wearing the wrong shoes. After that I walked through China Town, one of the biggest ones I've ever seen!! I also noticed that there are so many Asians in SF!! Not just Chinese, Japanese too (explaining Japantown, but I'll come back to that). From China town to Lombard street, the crookedest street which I did remember seeing last time. And then on to Fisherman's Wharf since I was 'so' close. Once I got there, I was done, my feet wouldn't move and I figured I would come back with my cousin and walk around. There's also a lot of homeless people in SF and a lot of street artists too, one guy said he was a rapper and he told me, and I quote: "You look just like Adele, your beauty isn't lying so why should I right in front of you". Yeah, alright, good bye. Took a cable car back to the hostel and met up with my cousins a few hours after that to go out. What a difference a day makes! We went on a pub crawl, just so she could show me this bar, Kozy, basically a bar filled with a couple of tv screens that show porn scenes, not constantly, but they're there.
In my week here I noticed that a lot of guys just talk to you, without any shame, and hoping to bring some game. It takes some getting used to, but you do meet a lot of people this way. Just so different from home. And even though SF is such an expensive city, the booze isn't. There's happy hour everywhere, everyday. There's $1 mixed drinks, strong too and cheap drink deals everywhere. There's also the Battle of the Decades, starting with $1 drinks and music from the 6o's, going up a dollar each hour and a decade in music. So $2 and 70's music, $3 and 80's music, etc. And then there's the creme the la creme, knowing the owner of a club. My cousin introduced me to him and I got free drinks, as did she obviously. So whatever we wanted, he made. Some were super strong resulting in a very very very drunken night.
But enough about my drinking habit. Since I did want to see and do as much as possible and not just drink, oh and bars already close at 2am in SF, I got up as early as I could to do a bit of sightseeing. Since it was the weekend, my cousin was able to join me. We decided to go to The Golden Gate Park, they all use Uber and Lyft to get around here. And when choosing shared rides, often ending up paying less than public transportation. I had a shitty map and so I thought the park was about a third of what it was and we ended up walking all the way to the end, to see the windmills and the beach (that was sooooo lovely in the sun)!! And then all the way back. We met a local and he told us we could go up in the museum tower for free, great view of the city! We walked about 20 km that day!! I walked about 10 km on most of the other days.
After another night of drinking, we went to Fisherman's Wharf. It looked so different from when I was there 9 years ago. All these new attractions; Madam Tussauds, SF Dungeon, Ripley's believe it or not. I didn't recognize it too much. We then walked to pier 39 where the sea lions kind of took over. Same same, I remembered this. And we also got a good look at Alcatraz from there. We walked over to Hyde st. pier but it was already closed (I'll come back to this). And oh we went to a Gospel Church, so much fun and so much energy!!!
I was suppose to go to the Muir Woods and Sausolito the day after, but the tour buses weren't allowed to go up there until further notice, I was still able to go to Sausolito though. The guy told me I could get a full refund and asked me if I wanted to do anything else. So I told him about Sausolito and wanting to see the Golden Gate bridge from Point Vista. He told me I could do all that for free today and wrote on my ticket: "Let her on the blue line and pink. Ray". Thank you, Ray! Another beautiful day and a free tour! The colors of the Golden Gate Bridge seemed faded to me, not as red (international orange they call it) as I remember. I learned it hadn't been painted almost ever since it was built. Sausolito is a cute harbor kind of city. Walked around for about an hour, enjoyed the views, the people, the little shops! And took another tour around the city, it's not like I had anything better to do! That night, me and my cousing went to The View during sunset and to have a cocktail, The View is a skybar with an amazing view of the city and beautiful during sunset!
Another sunny day in SF, I walked around Haight Ashbury with my cousin until she had to go back to school. Haight Ashbury and it's intersection on Haight and Ashbury st. is famous for the Summer of Love! This little area is therefor filled with hippie like shops. I decided to keep walking, since it all looked close by on my map. I went to Alamo Square, famous for it's painted ladies. Victorian houses with at least three colors. I took the postcard shot as well as I could. The park was under construction, but they had left the view point open. I walked around in the neighborhood a bit and saw a lot more of these houses and continued my way to look for the Full House house. After an hour or so I found it, and again realized that my map wasn't up to scale on this bit. I continued my way to Japan town! And after walking for about 4 hours and not eating because I couldn't find a nice spot to eat, I was really excited! I walked into a Japanese supermarket and it brought me straight back to Japan. I loved it!! And I then found a Daiko, kind of a Japanese dollarshop, loved it!! Everything was Japanese and most of it's customers were too. Of course I bought some weird stuff there, such as chair socks and a cutlery camping set (spoon, knife, fork and sticks). I then, even though I really didn't want to, walked back to the hostel. Exhausted.
On my last full day, I went to the SF dungeon, I had already been to the one in London and Amsterdam and after finding a 50% coupon, I kind of had to go! It was funny and well done!! Some of it was the same as in the other cities, but this one ended with a bit on Alcatraz, so that was cool! After that I almost went back to the F train (old school tram) to see Castro but remembered that I hadn't been to the Hyde st. pier yet (the one that had already closed when I went with my cousin). I was tired and kind of done walking around in SF, but went anyway. I walked with my head down and then lifted it...and then it happened..
I recognized a spot and an instant smile appeared on my face. And I didn't just recognize it, it was the image I've had in my head every time I think of SF and the one I was looking for before. I stood on the same place I stood 9 years ago, touching the Pacific Ocean for the very first time. I couldn't find the spot before and so I kind of forgot about it, but there it was. I kind of recognize some of the other spots I went to in SF, but this was different, I mean, this was it!!! And I smiled, it was also my first glimpse of the Golden Gate bridge. I just kept smiling, it's almost like I went back, back to what I felt 9 years ago when I came here and stood here (I remember this moment like it was yesterday). To meet up with friends (from back home and one that I had met in the Keys) after my internship in Florida, just 19 years old and I finished my internship in January, so I was here about the same date as today. Sitting there made me feel calm, and happy. It was one of the first times, 9 years ago, of me being abroad and in a hostel, getting a taste of a different culture. And wow, look at the last 9 years. What I've seen and done. Maybe this is where the seed was planted and where today, a giant tree stands. A tree that will someday grow up into the sky and reach for the stars. A circle completed with a proud feeling. Thank you San Francisco for not changing this one spot that apparently means so much to me.
And it feels like moments later, that I was sitting on the train going home and overheard a Dutch guy, Jelle, saying to some German tourists, "Well, nice to meet you, strong but powerful" (literally translated from a Dutch saying "kort maar krachtig"). And I realized, I was home again..
Thursday, January 05, 2017
The roundabout of life
As I've said before, I think everything you do or that 'happens' comes down to the choices you or somebody else make. And rather than looking at everything in black and white and saying you can only go left or right, there are far more options.
The roundabout. The roundabout of life, a safe yet confusing place to be. No idea what to do or what effect it will have on your 'safe' life. You just continue going in circles and nothing changes. Or you choose to go somewhere; a new direction or to continue in the same direction to get closer to where you were already headed or even turn back to where you came from.
The highway. Going from A to B, kind of a limited (speed) life but with a clear vision. Sometimes you slow down and nothing special is going on, sometimes you get to go wild and speed up a bit! Or you might even go over the limit at times, doing something out of the ordinary. Or again, take an exit to avoid obstacles, to take a detour or to change direction.
And then you've got your intersections, your actual left and right options, traffic lights, stop signs, etc. There are so many options to slow down, speed up, change directions and even to just come to a full stop at times. And the same goes for life. It's all about the direction you want to go in to.
And most of the times, I guess I go all over the place, having never ending options to continue in whichever direction I want. Work? Travel? Settle? Leave? And to even turn back at times (to my moms house and a certain lifestyle), and of course as we are all human, perhaps take a wrong turn.
Although, is it really a 'wrong turn'? Living in the moment without any regrets, not always thinking things through. I've been there, people looking at me or talking about or to me as if I did something 'wrong', sometimes involving alcohol (btw to come back to my earlier comparison; don't drink and drive!!). But most if the times, I am leading my heart 'in to battle' first and leaving my thoughts behind. Truly living in the moment and letting go of everything else. The world around me doesn't exist, the people around me aren't there. Tomorrow or yesterday doesn't count anymore. Nothing else, no consequences, but just that moment. And it might not always make sense but eh it's still me, no filter, no restrictions. Drinking, dancing, screaming, singing, crying, kissing, but mostly laughing and just enjoying myself and the people around me and with that said, I don't think it's a wrong turn at all. Perhaps it's just the person 'next to you', another side of you, the one yanking the steering wheel to spice life up a bit. To get you to do something out of the ordinary, to change direction and to go over the speed limit and to just live.
As life itself has many different sides, so do people. And to truly experience life and to truly know a person, you learn to appreciate all sides. I guess I am trying to say that whatever you do, whichever direction you go into, as long as you are fully behind that choice, it's never 'wrong'. It's a different side, a different choice, but one that too made you and your life what it is today, so embrace it.
Ps; this blog might be confusing for a bit or all over the place, but eh so am I a bit now and again ^_^!
The roundabout. The roundabout of life, a safe yet confusing place to be. No idea what to do or what effect it will have on your 'safe' life. You just continue going in circles and nothing changes. Or you choose to go somewhere; a new direction or to continue in the same direction to get closer to where you were already headed or even turn back to where you came from.
The highway. Going from A to B, kind of a limited (speed) life but with a clear vision. Sometimes you slow down and nothing special is going on, sometimes you get to go wild and speed up a bit! Or you might even go over the limit at times, doing something out of the ordinary. Or again, take an exit to avoid obstacles, to take a detour or to change direction.
And then you've got your intersections, your actual left and right options, traffic lights, stop signs, etc. There are so many options to slow down, speed up, change directions and even to just come to a full stop at times. And the same goes for life. It's all about the direction you want to go in to.
And most of the times, I guess I go all over the place, having never ending options to continue in whichever direction I want. Work? Travel? Settle? Leave? And to even turn back at times (to my moms house and a certain lifestyle), and of course as we are all human, perhaps take a wrong turn.
Although, is it really a 'wrong turn'? Living in the moment without any regrets, not always thinking things through. I've been there, people looking at me or talking about or to me as if I did something 'wrong', sometimes involving alcohol (btw to come back to my earlier comparison; don't drink and drive!!). But most if the times, I am leading my heart 'in to battle' first and leaving my thoughts behind. Truly living in the moment and letting go of everything else. The world around me doesn't exist, the people around me aren't there. Tomorrow or yesterday doesn't count anymore. Nothing else, no consequences, but just that moment. And it might not always make sense but eh it's still me, no filter, no restrictions. Drinking, dancing, screaming, singing, crying, kissing, but mostly laughing and just enjoying myself and the people around me and with that said, I don't think it's a wrong turn at all. Perhaps it's just the person 'next to you', another side of you, the one yanking the steering wheel to spice life up a bit. To get you to do something out of the ordinary, to change direction and to go over the speed limit and to just live.
As life itself has many different sides, so do people. And to truly experience life and to truly know a person, you learn to appreciate all sides. I guess I am trying to say that whatever you do, whichever direction you go into, as long as you are fully behind that choice, it's never 'wrong'. It's a different side, a different choice, but one that too made you and your life what it is today, so embrace it.
Ps; this blog might be confusing for a bit or all over the place, but eh so am I a bit now and again ^_^!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)